As one of the world's most recognized and revered physicists of all-time, Einstein has often been quoted as saying, “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 and is best remembered as the founding father of the theory of relativity … and so much more.
Rosa Parks
Parks became one of the most important Civil Rights-era figures in 1955 after refusing to give her bus seat up to a white man.
Bill Gates
When the founder of Microsoft was asked how introverts can succeed in a predominantly extroverted world he said:
“Well, I think introverts can do quite well. If you’re clever you can learn to get the benefits of being an introvert, which might be, say, being willing to go off for a few days and think about a tough problem, read everything you can, push yourself very hard to think out on the edge of that area. Then, if you come up with something, if you want to hire people, get them excited, build a company around that idea, you better learn what extroverts do, you better hire some extroverts, like Steve Ballmer I would claim as an extrovert, and tap into both sets of skills in order to have a company that thrives both as in deep thinking and building teams and going out into the world to sell those ideas.”
Even one of the most successful, wealthiest, and influential personalities in Hollywood is an introvert. Director and producer Steven Spielberg has admitted that he's an introvert and would prefer to spend time getting lost in movies.
Even though she was a shy and withdrawn individual, Eleanor Roosevelt "was a woman who gave 348 press conferences as First Lady, was a United Nations delegate, a human rights activist, a teacher, and a lecturer who averaged 150 speaking engagements a year throughout the 1950s."
The founder and CEO of Facebook is classic introvert. In fact, as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told The New York Times in 2010, "He is shy and introverted, and he often does not seem very warm to people who don't know him, but he is warm." She added, "He really cares about the people who work here."
The former vice president, presidential candidate, and author of "An Inconvenient Truth" is another well-known public figure who found success despite being an introvert.
The current Yahoo CEO may be a well-known figure, but Mayer still believes in quiet leadership and has admitted that "I'm just geeky and shy and I like to code …"
The introverted leadership skills of the 16th president have been studied numerous times by researchers and educators because of his "geekiness," dignity, and quietness.
The creator of Harry Potter is another well-known introvert. She came up with the character while traveling from Manchester to London. Rowling recalls, "I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six, but I had never been so excited about an idea before. To my immense frustration, I didn’t have a pen that worked, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one ..."
Called the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett is known as one of the most successful introverts and businessmen in the world. According to Buffett, when he started out, he had the "intellect for business," but he felt he had to enroll in Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" seminars because he didn't have a business persona.
Known for being the master of nonviolent resistance, Gandhi once said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
The former first lady and secretary of state, and current presidential candidate, isn't an extrovert like her husband, Bill. This might be why some people believe that Clinton isn't that warm of a person.
ichael Jordan
"His Airness" is one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. He also happens to be one of the greatest introvert athletes of all-time as well.
The renowned scientist and author of "The Origin of Species" was a quiet type who enjoyed solitude.
Like many actors and actresses, Meryl Streep is a known introvert. However, Streep is a three-time Academy Award winner who is known for her preparation in becoming every character she has portrayed.
The founder of PayPal, Space X, and Tesla has been open about how he went from an "introverted engineer" to being the next Steve Jobs.
Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.
Arguably one of the greatest children's authors of all-time wrote his stories alone and, according to Susan Cain, "was afraid of meeting the kids who read his books for fear they would be disappointed at how quiet he was."
This world-renowned and inspirational composer was so introverted that he gave only about 30 public performances in his lifetime. Instead, he played for small groups of friends and made a living by selling his compositions and teaching piano. Chopin’s most quiet and troubled times have become known as his most productive composition periods.
Steve Wozniak
In his book iWoz, Wozniak says:
“I’m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone. Not on a committee. Not on a team.”
The current president made history in 2008 by becoming the first African-American elected to the office. He's also a known introvert. In fact, as columnist David Brooks stated in The New York Times, "Being led by Barack Obama is like being trumpeted into battle by Miles Davis. He makes you want to sit down and discern."
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